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On Friday, November 13th, I sat on my couch, watching show after show, late at night.

On Monday, November 16th, several terrorist attacks occurred in Paris, France.

The death toll has reached over a hundred, with many more injured.

Several bombings and mass shootings occurred simultaneously: the artwork of ISIS. ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The organization also goes by ISIL, meaning the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This group’s territory is in the uppermost region of Syria. They’re responsible for several terrorist attacks, including those in Paris.

While Paris rallies forces in the short few days since the attack, America has opted out of assisting France. I believe, despite the rashness of France’s reaction, that the U.S. should help France against the common enemy, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Helping France is not only the moral decision, it will also be beneficial to us as France and its allies will come to our aid when the time comes.

If America chooses to assist the French, we would be making the decision to help our friends. All around the world, the French colors fly high in defiance against terrorism and fear, bringing us all closer together against the common enemy.

Several countries have marked their national landmarks with the French colors in support. What good is showing love and support towards France if we just hide behind our hypocrisy? We’re hiding behind false patriotism, feeling proud to change our Facebook profile picture to support Paris, as we sit idle on the sidelines of battle.

Along with providing assistance to our friend and ally, by aiding France, we would be ensuring our safety in the future.

In the future, when one day terrorism strikes America, we’ll need all the help we can get. If we help France, they will in turn come to us when we need help.

Allies are necessary when fighting on your own home territory. When there is no room to back up and no space to back down, a helping hand can be the difference between life and death. Between razing and raising a country. This decision could, in the long term, be extremely important to every single American resident.

Not only is this the opportunity to make friends, this just may be the perfect opportunity to vanquish the evil of the earth.

With terrorism being an imminent threat to our very existence on this earth, the absolute need to strike down the bringers of fear and pain is essential. The mere existence of terrorists, no matter what location, is encouragement for the scum of the earth to rise and join.

The mere existence of terrorists brings hopelessness to the millions. It brings fear, pain, and horror to the widows and parentless children. To the innocents attempting survival in a havoc stricken country. To the people of the free world.

Bringing the reign of terror down would be an event marked in history as the day freedom and love prevailed over hate and violence.

It’s essential to destroy terrorism, and this is the perfect opportunity to bond together, fight together, and win, victorious over our enemy, together.

As a token of my thoughts, I am posting digital floral arrangements compliments of Kara’s Flowers and Victorian Gardens: Click Here to see who they are. This pic is from their site. Beautiful white roses.

On France

So, I’ve been thinking about whether or not we should support France.

If America came to France’s aid, the message would be just as effective as the support itself. As America, the world superpower, steps in and protects France, other, smaller terrorist groups would be extremely discouraged.

If other terrorists and extremists look at ISIS and their attacks on Paris and see countries uniting against ISIS in response, the terrorists would never touch us.

It would send a powerful and strong message that would last throughout the ages; America doesn’t mess around.

This can only be achieved if America steps in and helps. Victory must come swift and quick. If France and Europe take too long, or slip up, even if they win in the end, the message is weakened intensely. It might even encourage other terrorist organizations, because if ISIS almost won, why can’t they? America needs to step in immediately.

Some would say that France is acting too quickly. They’re launching attacks and rounding up forces a mere two days after the event happened. As opposed to the five weeks America waited after the events of September 11, 2001.

The French government has taken the acts of terrorism as an act of war towards France. The country is currently in a state of emergency, and the borders have been closed. If we were to intervene now, it would be disorganized and rushed. It would be dangerous. It may even lead to a greater loss of life. Without a well thought out and a well thought through plan, France and America together would not succeed in the war against terrorism.

While the slight disorganization may occur due to the rashness of the French retaliation, a quicker response would yield better results, and would be generally supported by the globe. The cruel truth is that right now, while the wound of terror is fresh on the skin of the world, everyone wants to help. Everyone is sitting on the edge of their seat. The massive ever watching eye of the media is fixed on Paris, and everyone is emotionally invested, but, as time goes on, we’ll move on. If America tries to take back their decision in a year or two, no one is going to be interested enough. No one will care. It’s the cold, hard truth. We act now, while everyone’s heart is in it, or we act later and have to fight amongst ourselves to reach a decision.

Some people are nervous this is going to turn into another Iraq. That we will be stuck in a never-ending war. Losing men and money into a seemingly endless endeavor. The fear is that we will be sucked into a war that isn’t our own. A war that will cost Americans money, lives and hope.

Comparing this quest to that of Iraq is valid, but if we jump in quickly, and support France and its allies, there’s a better chance of quickly crushing the enemy. If we can make it in now, and if we can hit them hard, we’ll crush their spirit and being. To suggest that this war isn’t our own is ludicrous. It is very much our own. While the Islamic State may be operating out of the Middle East, the threat of terrorism is large and extremely volatile. ISIS has already struck France and is threatening to attack our own United States of America. We are just as in the middle of this war as France is, we are just choosing not to act. Choosing not to fight for freedom. We, as America, as Americans, need to go to any means necessary to assist France and destroy terrorism.

Taking several counter arguments into consideration, I strongly believe America should be overseas doing everything in our ability to both assist France and vanquish ISIS. The American dream is a beacon of hope, a light, leading the hopeless and blinding the cruel. As we forge through time, we march, holding Lady Freedom’s torch high, strong and proud. As a superpower, it’s our ability to support and protect the innocent and free of the world. We need to bond together with our allies. We need to form ranks and fire freedom into the physical embodiment of death and destruction: terrorism.

Xen peered out the small porthole. He craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his new home. There it was. A tiny marble floating in the vastness of the void. It looked like earth. Or it looked like all the pictures Xen had seen of it. Blue oceans and vast green continents, and white poles.

Tok leaned over as far as his seatbelt would allow towards Xen.

“Scared?” He said with a sly grin.

You always held your pockets around Tok and his twin Raguan. They had a reputation aboard the ship as thieving pranksters; an accusation both would deny with a twinkle in their eye.

“There’s nothing to worry about, we’re only goin’ about a million miles an hour headed straight for a giant rock.”

Xen ignored him with a small scoff. He leaned closer to the window, examining his reflection now, rather than the approaching planet.

He was thin, but strong, and tall. He had green eyes and black hair that swept across his forehead.

He looked around the room. It was a small square made of blank metal. Three bunks were set into the wall, one for him, and the others for Tok and Raguan. Across from the beds was a table with chairs, for eating freeze dried meals. Against the adjacent wall was a door and a TV screen. On the last wall were three large chairs, with seatbelts protruding from the wall along with hooks holding a pressurized helmet supplied with oxygen.

The three boys were all strapped in, when the TV flicked to life.

Words started scrolling across its surface: Please, equip pressurized suits, apply safety belts, and place helmet in the correct, locked position on suit.

The boys clicked their helmets onto place on their suits. They were form fitting and tight, with a large visor that covered the face. Dark green with black trim. They had large packs built into the back of the suit that held an oxygen tank and an air filtration system.

The chairs had holes for the packs to lock into, and had padded panels sticking out to protect one’s head and neck.

Xen glanced at Tok and Raguan, both clutching handles that protruded from their seats. Xen’s forehead began sweating. He gripped the handles and clamped his eyes closed. The ship started rattling. Then shaking. Jerking and rocking. A roaring sound filled Xen’s ears. He reminded himself that the ship was bound to make sound as it hit the air surrounding the planet.

They were the first to attempt to land on Marvel. The earth was desperate. The ship was humanity’s wild card. A last hope, flung into the void. They didn’t even know if the air was breathable. They just knew that the planet was warm enough to live on and had liquid water.

The earth was gone, or so it seemed. Trash, piled everywhere. They shoveled it into the oceans once the landfills couldn’t hold any more. Then wars broke out. Fighting over the minimal resources left. Nations collapsed as they exhausted their water and food sources.

Hey, thanks so much for stopping by my blog site. I’m glad you found it, and I hope you enjoy the variety of articles I post here.

If you’ve looked around the site at all, you’ll see that I post blogs on an eclectic assortment of topics. They range from political topics to stories that I write to recipes that I have found to parenting advice.

There really is something for everyone.

I have categorized my blogs into broad divisions that cover the scope of topics.

A little about me. . . .

I’m a retired professor of gerontology. I taught the subject for 30 years at UCLA. It was a subject that was near and dear to my heart, and I taught it with enthusiasm and passion.

I had a zillion kids come through my classes, and most of them were bright and engaging. I really enjoyed those kids.

I liked to structure my classes so that they invited vigorous discussion, and I seemed to be pretty successful at that. My classes were always packed. And we always had really great discussions. Sometimes the kids got downright angry about stuff, and that’s when the discussions really got going.

I remember once time saying the largest consumer of dog food, after dogs, was senior citizens. Wow, that got everyone riled up. It provoked a discussion that went on for a week, and lit a fire under some of those kids to get into care of the elderly.

That was always my goal: that the kids would become aware of the plight of the elderly, and that their hearts would be moved to help. Not just moved in a temporary way, but moved in a way that they would consider careers that would incorporate care of the elderly.

Or at the very minimum, that they would come from my classes with a fresh appreciation for their grandparents and peers of their grandparents.

I did seem to be fairly successful at that. I had a lot of kids come up to me at the end of the semester and tell me that they had changed their majors to gerontology and planned to pursue careers in that field.

When I heard that, I felt like I was a success as an instructor. And when I saw kids walk across the stage at graduation, with their majors announced as something in the elderly care field, I really felt like a success then.